No Debutante - The Clash

I like to clash up and mix prints and styles. It's something I have always done, I never buy an item of clothing to go with something else from my wardrobe, I could never be so restricted, to me it seems a bit twee. Even with 1950s styling, which I love and own a lot of fifties pieces, I will still mash up the prints and colour ways even though it seems to go against the 1950s styling rules. I like to wear all of my clothes my way and although I will become inspired by lots of people and looks around me, I always wear things in my organised chaotic way. Which I know confuses some people and delights others which is cool, we are all different.

Today's personal style outfits both include a bit of print clashing and also feature two of my kids, they are a big part of my life after all and are often with me when I take my blog photographs and to feature them every once in a while perhaps makes my blog a little different from the usual fashion blog! What do you think?

The first outfit is a bit grunge and features double denim and tartan with my leopard print fur coat and Dr Martens.

The second outfit is more preppy, with the skater skirt, Breton tee and Converse low tops accessorised with a victory roll.

My eldest son Lucian who features in today's post alongside his little sister Sylvie Belle, is now 9 years old and likes to skate, just like his Daddy. He Rocks!

All clothing from H&M, Primark, Dr Martens, Converse, Vans,  Mothercare & Santa Cruz.

Thanks for joining me and have a great day!

ND xx

No Debutante - Doll Face

Today's outfits are very different. 

I love mixing up prints and in the first outfit I haven't held back with my vintage Americana

print top, ditsy floral skater skirt and leopard print Converse, topped off with a camouflage jacket. Since my hair has been getting longer I have been attempting different ways to put my hair up. I am happy with my victory rolls and headscarf looks but I like to add braids into the mix these days for a bit of texture, it's very grunge influenced and I haven't really worn braids since the 1990s. Today's braids are really random, I don't take too much time doing them which suits the cute, grunge look and despite the lack of effort, is quite pleasing. 

On this day we went as a family to Dean lane skate park in Bristol for a skate event. I've added a couple of other photographs from the day so you can see what a stylish bunch my family are, rockin' it in a rockabilly /skate /skinhead style. Check out Naomi, she was nearly half way through her pregnancy here and you can barely tell! I love the photograph of Sylvie walking away from the skater boys (her brothers and friend) so cute!

Carrying on the family theme, I had a little guest join me in the photographs for the second outfit. Sometimes little Sylvie just likes to join in! The outfit is one of my vintage style rockabilly looks with a Breton tee, Vivien of Holloway vintage cut jeans and red accents.

 Sylvie's dresses are from Boden and H&M with boots from Converse.

Which is your favourite look? 

Thanks for following and I shall be back very soon with some more fashion fun!!

ND xx

No Debutante - Sick Sick Sick

I have been feeling unwell again and have been zapped of energy.....but nothing stops this girl from blogging for too long!! This really is a short little post, but I just had to show you my fashion moments from the past few days, I couldn't resist it. I always feel guilty about just resting up, even if I'm ill, I still see it as time wasting! It is no wonder I am often ill, is it?? 

Today's photographs start with me taking photos of my forward rolling victory roll on my way to work on Friday, I have no evidence of my actual outfit, I seriously did not have the time and was not feeling too good either, I was, however, rather pleased with the forward victory roll so had to get some quick evidence of it, so yes, I am that person on the bus, taking pictures of herself......It's all for fashion daaaaarrrrllllliiiiinnng!

Next comes a quick snap of me at the zoo over the weekend, I went to write a review for work, perhaps if I have the time (and more energy) I can do a post on the family zoo visit as we got loads of cool photographs, alas, not today. Check out my zoo outfit, more festival, grunge than zoo with the kids, I did get a few stares, of course, I'd expect nothing less!

 Lastly comes today's personal style pics. I went for mix prints and Sylvie joined in with a bit of leopard print, again there were not many photographs to choose from since I look real tired and a bit ill in most of them! I hope you can appreciate that even when I am rushed off my feet or poorly I still manage to make the effort, in the name of fashion!!

I just thought I'd let you know that whilst I am writing this post and feeling poorly, I am also ordering my online weekly groceries shop, don't tell this mother and sista fashionista that she cannot multi-task! 

Thanks for reading fashion lovers, I shall hopefully be back and blogging very soon....Tomorrow, if I have my way!

ND xx

Bernhard Willhelm SS 13 - Hey What's Up?

Whilst browsing through my vast collections fashion images on Pinterest I came across these images from the Bernhard Willhelm SS 2013 collection and thought I would share my  favourite pieces from the collection with you.

I have posted about Bernhard Wilhelm’s collections before and I always look forward to his next collection of avant-garde, anti fashion, street style pieces. The thing about Willhelm’s collections is that aside from the outrageous styling, fashion shows and amazing photographs you will find that there are also very wearable pieces.

I am loving the oversized maxi cut dresses, bright colours and mix prints, the layering and the amazing footwear! I personally love to accessorise with printed socks and leggings and Willhelm pairs his with embellished trainers and Japanese style sandals. For the Men its all about mix print layering of sports style sweatshirts and jackets, bright printed trousers, sports socks and more sandals!

Despite Willhelms avantgarde aesthetic there are many links with this seasons trends making it easier to recreate the look using bold graphic Op Art style prints, pleated fabrics, oversized or maxi dresses and socks worn with your hidden wedge boots or for the braver fashionistas among us, socks worn with sandals Japanese style! The style of the high top boots are very similar to the hidden wedge style boots that are everywhere at the moment making that part of the look easy to covet.

 

The next collection is now available to view on Bernhard Willhelms website here  http://www.bernhard-willhelm.com/collections/w-13-14-women-lookbook/   Check out the animations!  I'm sure I shall do a post about my favourite pieces from the AW 2013 collection very soon.

Thanks for following me!

ND xx

My Style Inspirations - Susie Bubble aka Style Bubble

The word Style Icon has been used rather flippantly by me in earlier posts, I think the word Style Icon describes a person who you have admired and adored for a long time and a few of my style icons are relatively new people that I have been obsessing over with massive fashion crushes! Sometimes these are just fads, people who I admire at a certain time in my life, so for these newer style crushes I shall rename the title Style Inspirations who may one day join the ever growing list of my style icons who include Debbie Harry, David Bowie and Annabella Lwin from Bow Wow Wow.

One of my more recent style crushes is Susie Bubble from the amazing Style Bubble Blog. Susie's blog always gets my attention and although I love all her posts on new designers and her latest fashion finds, I am actually always hoping for one of her Personal style posts, sometimes I am lucky enough to get both in the same post! This girls style is everything I love about fashion, the bright colours, the mish mash of prints and textures with childlike accents, Susie Bubble has a style all of her own and I am in awe of it. A self confessed fashion outsider, Susie seems to make any item of clothing work for her whether it's a handmade student piece or a high fashion Haute Couture item, this queen of street style works it and tops it off with Mickey Mouse ears! 

Susie Bubble, I salute you!!

 

Bloomers. top knots, maxis, socks with sandals, platform creeper boots, rainbow colours, oversized, polka dots, denim and Mickey Mouse..... I think we've covered everything.....

I love her!

All images courtesy of the Style Bubble blog follow Susie Bubble here! http://www.stylebubble.co.uk/

Susie recently wrote a post about her Style Icons, I was very excited to find out that one of them was Bubble from Absolutely Fabulous (the name Style Bubble Susie confesses was not inspired by Bubble - it was nick name given to her at school as she was always daydreaming  'in a bubble') I remember loving Bubble's style too and I would wait each episode to see what she would wear next, this is definitely a Icon I need to start hoarding Pinterest images of for a future post!

Thank you so much for the inspiration Susie Bubble!!  

Find more of my Style Icons posts here http://no-debutante.blogspot.co.uk/search?q=Debbie+Harry

http://no-debutante.blogspot.co.uk/search?q=david+Bowie

http://no-debutante.blogspot.co.uk/search?q=annabella+lwin

ND xx

Bernhard Willhelm AW 2012-13

If there is one collection that has a vast selection of my favourite socks and tights for this Autumn/winter it has to be Bernhard Willhelm! I have had these images for ages and now I also have the images for next season so I need to get on with it and show you my favourites from the A/W 2012. You will have seen a couple of examples of the footwear on my Fox in Socks post a few weeks back, so you already know I have an obsession with the socks and tights! The whole collection is quite wearable, I have lots of the slouchy jackets, oversized tees (and of course the socks and tights), much more wearable than the menswear from the same collection, which is really creative, but a few too many unfunctional items (bare chest cut outs being one of them) that are not too Autumn winter friendly, or most men I know, friendly, let's use the word avant garde....I will show you a few chosen pieces from the menswear range too as there are some great pieces. There had been a lot of haters for this collection on pinterest, I am loving it, of course, attracted by the clashing prints, bright colours and big shapes as usual. People seem to take things so literally, you don't have to wear the whole look from head to toe!

Wrap Coats

Slouchy jersey with tasselled layers

Mix Print layers

Punk Mohair jumpers

 
Asymmetric leggings, graphic prints and sportluxe boots

Mix print jersey tasselled mash up!

Mix prints tailored V sportluxe

Camouflage sportluxe zip up jackets with shorts

 
Menswear mix print mash up

Snood style hoodie and Bernhard Willhelm!

To sum this collection up I would have to compare the very wearable women's wrap coats with the full on aztec jumper and leggings from the menswear range, this is no way the most outrageous item from the menswear range but it is definitely one of the pieces that caught my eye. The look is mostly for the very brave but as I always say, just take elements from it, apart from the socks and tights, I really want the wrap coats, mohair knits and the jersey tops, it all looks pretty warm and comfortable which is something I need during the British winter. It seems that long hair for men and women is a big thing for this look, so I am glad I am growing my hair, although I'm hoping my husband Phil does not become inspired to grow that long two tone beard! When in Bristol.........ND xx
 

 

 

Fox in Socks

As much as I love a bit of Dr Seuss, this post is actually about my ongoing obsession with socks, tights and footwear in general.

 

For years now I have had a serious (problem) obsession with socks and tights, I'm more obsessed with them than shoes, shoes are a mere accessory to wear with your wonderful socks and tights! It's all about the colour, the print and the styling, a simple hosiery item will not do!

 I think I can pin point the obsession to the late 1990s. It was the Harajuku girl that had caught my eye and a bit of styling from The Face Magazine, which was also an obsession around that time (RIP The Face....I loved you). Both for me, made me want to start taking notice of socks and tights, I would buy every interesting pair I could get my hands on. This seems extreme now as it's easy to pick up interesting hosiery wherever you go but in those days it wasn't. The reason for this was simply that socks and coloured tights were not a big consumer thing- god, if you want interesting socks go to Sock Shop...Er, no thank you.... I remember over knee socks (nearly always in black) made a few comebacks during the early 1990s but coloured socks and legwarmers hadn't been a big thing since the 1980s and bright coloured tights hadn't been seen for years! It seems mad now but I used to get very over excited if I found a pair of red tights in the late 1990s let alone anything else!

Since the weather is about to change here in England, I have been looking forward to more socks and tights layering and trying to find new ways to wear them! I have collected a load of images on pinterest of how I would like to wear them. I hope you like these images and are inspired to take a bit more interest in your socks and tights!!

Let's start with the good old sporty tube sock. I always get mine from American Apparel, they are frankly the best and probably one of the only suppliers of the tube sock these days. This is why it would be a complete tragedy for me if American Apparel was to shut down, I'd have to buy a life time supply of tube socks!

The king of the tube sock is the Z-Boys skater Tony Alva circa mid-late 1970s -see skate image below. No-one rocked a pair of tube socks, Vans and shorts better than Tony Alva. My husband Phil pretty much works his look whenever we are on holiday, let me add Phil rarely decides to put on a pair of shorts, this never happens in England, it has to be sweltering hot and then he'll wear shorts....with some tube socks....

 Layering tights, socks and wedges...Love it!

A couple of retro images found on pinterest. I'm loving the bright colours, mix prints and platforms! The above image is very Chorlton and The Wheelies (1970s UK kids programme -well worth a youtube glance) and I'm loving the high top boxing wedge boots below!! It's a great image!

Inspired by the above retro image and Meadham Kirchhoff's Autumn Winter Collection, I bought the above Lulu wedge baseball boots by Rocket Dog from Office. It was the stripey wedge that won me over! Below is one of my current style icons Susie Bubble from the Style Bubble blog - find her here www.stylebubble.co.uk (I shall be doing a Style Icon blog on this fantastic fashion outsider very soon) although Susie has forgotten her socks, I do love them high top wedges!

Eley Kishimoto always has fantastic collections of tights and socks, they often cost a fair bit but look great! I haven't posted any Henry Holland images this time but let's not forget his fantastic hosiery collections too! You can find both on asos.com. and the styling on Asos is worth a look for inspiration.

Catwalk Trends

Here are a some images that had caught my attention for the current A/W collections. The first image is from the inspiring Meadham Kirchhoff collection, I had originally posted about this  in September, I love the stripey socks worn with rolled up jeans and wedges.

The second two images are from Bernhard Willhelm's A/W collection, I shall be blogging about this collection very soon so here's a quick look at the footwear. It's more urban this time with strappy, comfy trainer boots and graphic mix print tights, the collection is a full on print clash which will always catch my eye!

Hey! This obsession isn't just for adults, check out the kids images above that I have collected on Pinterest (mostly from my friend Selena I imagine -she's kids pinterest obsessed!!) I'm loving the mix print leggings, stripey tights with boxing boots and spots, stripes and Dr Martens. You can't go wrong!

 

All images are from my pinterest boards find them here http://pinterest.com/nodebutante/ but a quick thank you to these sources office.co.uk,  ipaddock.it,  stylebubble.co.uk, bernhard-willhelm.com, eleykishimoto.com,  backtothefiveanddime.tumblr.com http://store.americanapparel.co.uk  indiansummervintage.wordpress.com  matildajaneblog.com  petithood.com pauletpaula.com 

I hope I have changed your mind about your footwear attire?? Next post may possibly be a look at what I have been wearing lately....It's been a while....ND xx